Roger Federer responds to Andy Murray’s kind words

Roger Federer is continuing to prove that he is an inspiration to many on and off the court.

Andy Murray, who has not reached the second week of Roland Garros since 2017 - shared his thoughts on the 39-year-old’s decision to withdraw from the event to preserve his health. The Swiss Maestro’s ability to play at the highest level after all these years is “inspirational," according to Murray on social media.

Federer saw the Brit’s lovely tweet and wrote back with kind words of his own.

“Thank you Sir Andy, the feeling is mutual. You gotta love it. See you on the grass court,” Federer wrote.

The pair have always shown nothing but respect for each other. The two major champions have faced each other on 25 occasions, with three of those matches coming in the finals of Grand Slams.

This year, Federer reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and was set to face Matteo Berrettini before deciding that the stress on his body was too much. He has only taken the match court six times in 2021 and Paris marked his first Grand Slam appearance since the 2020 Australian Open. Not wanting to compromise his recovery after undergoing two knee surgeries last year, he made the tough decision of not continuing his campaign on the terre battue. However, in his post-match presser on Saturday evening, he mentioned how "thrilled" he was to have added three matches under his belt and he looks forward to the grass-court season.

“After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation it’s important that I listen to my body and make sure I don’t push myself too quickly on my road to recovery,” Federer said. “I am thrilled to have gotten 3 matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court.”